Binge
by DeimosPhobos
Summary: As eager as he was to leave the floating prison to film a video, 2D would much rather run away as soon as his feet hit solid land and leave it all behind.  So, he does just that.  Contains OC's to make the story work.  No pairings.
1. Whale Song

AN: While I haven't really thought of the latest videos as actual music videos (more like stories or something, OMH definitely), this idea refused to die. This takes place around the time of the Stylo video, and is my first Gorillaz fanfic!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gorillaz. If I did, they'd have a video out for Empire Ants by now!

When Murdoc had first announced that they would be leaving the island to shoot a video, 2D had no idea what to say. For one thing, he was already shocked that the bass slayer allowed him to leave his underwater room for the entire day, as long as he stayed in the sight of his red and black eyes. In reality, Murdoc Niccals was only trying to get on his good side. 2D didn't mind this too much, because it would mean that Murdoc would see him if and when the whale decided to try and eat him. The vocalist shook his head, ridding the whale from his mind.

"Er, Muds? Does this mean that we're not coming back?" the bluehead asked hesitantly. "After the video, I mean." He added. Murdoc laughed, taking a swig of whisky.

"We'll see, Stu-pot, alright?" the other man lied easily. He could have easily told the idiot that he had no intention of staying away from the island for too long, and they would return to the floating landfill when the first opportunity came up. He grinned across the table to his singer, who looked away rather quickly. 2D was certain that his former friend was slightly drunk. He decided that now was the perfect time to give him some space. When he rose to leave the table, he was stopped by the android. She, the replica of Noodle, their guitarist, had been behind him the entire time. The man made a face when she grabbed his thin arm tightly.

"Murdoc, she's not coming with us, is she?"

2D's slight plea caused Murdoc to grin.

"Of course she is, dullard!" he laughed, taking a final large swig of his drunk. "What, you don't like her?" he demanded, eyes narrowing. There was a moment of tense silence, and then Murdoc rose from his seat. Even though he was shorter than 2D, he managed to tower over him. He grabbed the front of 2D's striped shirt, pulling him towards him.

"Noodle," Murdoc commanded, causing Noodle to chirp out a response before leaving the deck all together. "Now," he turned his attention to the man before him "What's your problem, mate? What's she done to you, eh?"

"Nothin', Muds! I-I'm sorry!" 2D stuttered, trying to get away from Murdoc. The last time he had gotten the bassist angry had resulted in him being locked in his room for days with no food. He had only the water from his sink in the bathroom to drink, and his pills. When Murdoc finally went to check on him, the singer was half dead, and slightly overdosed. Since then, Murdoc didn't allow 2D to carry his pills with him. If he had a headache, he would either have to ask nicely, or just tough it out. Murdoc huffed, releasing 2D by throwing him back into his chair. The singer's lanky form didn't agree with his sudden movement, and the chair tipped over backwards, breaking one of the back legs.

"Now you've done it, faceache!" roared Murdoc, advancing towards the singer. 2D cried out, scooting backwards to get away when Murdoc aimed a kick at his chest. He ended up backing himself up to the white wall of the deck. He shot to his feet, running off before Murdoc could do some serious damage. He failed to notice the replica just inside the doorway, until it tackled him to the ground, holding him down by pointing a gun to his head. By the time Murdoc finally wandered back in the doorway- having decided to take his time because he knew what Noodle had done and he wanted to make 2D suffer just for the fun of it- he laughed. There was his singer, lying on his back on the ground with a terrified look on his pale face. Noodle had knocked him down, and then sat herself on his legs, aiming the gun at his head, directly between his eyes.

"Well now, isn't this just sweet? You two are bonding, just like old times!" Murdoc laughed again. He took another swig of his drink, realizing too late that it was empty. With a sigh, he returned the arm to his side. "You should consider yourself lucky. She could've thrown you to the whale. Actually, she will-"

"_Murdoc_!" 2D cried out in horrified disbelief. Murdoc ignored him and continued speaking.

"-if you get too out of hand. But that needn't happen, right? I can't have my singer torn to shreds by some swimming cow now, can I?" he asked sweetly. 2D whimpered, shaking his head at the thought as his eyes began to sting. "What's this? You think you could? Well, let's see then."

"Murdoc, please don't! It's not what I meant!" 2D pleaded, though he knew that it was too late. Murdoc was too far gone to care, and it's not like he would have lifted a finger for him even if he was sober anyway.

The bassist seemed to have gone deaf to the other man. He began speaking to Noodle, who quickly got off 2D, put her gun away, and pulled him up. She had his arms pinned behind his back. At Murdoc's command, she began dragging him away. There was too much of a height difference to walk him away. The android led them back outside to one of the hills overlooking the vast sea. For the entire trip, 2D was screaming and struggling against the android, desperately trying to get away. He saw the bassist trailing after him, and he began shouting, begging him to stop the android. Murdoc shrugged, pretending to not hear his pleas. When the android stopped, 2D knew that they had reached the edge of the plastic hill. Below were the shore, and the sea. This was one of the best places to take a dive without landing on the shore below, because the land below didn't hang out too far. 2D tried one last time to break free. The android replied by twisting one of his arms, causing him to gasp in pain for a moment. She wouldn't let up until he relaxed, which he quickly found out. Expertly, the android spun her captive around so he was in front of her and standing. She adjusted her hold on him, pinning his arms to his sides as she held him tightly, prepared to lift him up into the air. He was shaking now. Murdoc suddenly appeared by his side, a strange whistle in one hand, empty bottle in the other.

"Please, Muds don't do this!" 2D begged. The green man only smiled back at him, a twisted Cheshire cat smile, raising the whistle to his chapped lips and blowing through it. Peering over the edge to the water, Murdoc's smile grew. The water had begun to bubble, and then a jet of air and water shot up. Noodle had edged 2D forward a bit, and he had seen it all. He was on borderline hysteria with tears running down his face. He bit back a sob when he finally saw the whale.

"Ready for a swim, mate?" Murdoc asked cheekily. 2D shook his head madly.

"Please, Murdoc, I'm sorry! I really am! Please, please don't do this!"

"Right. Well, get on with it, love." Murdoc waved a hand at his robot. Nodding, Noodle took a few more steps forward and raised her arms, hoisting 2D into the air. He was hanging over the edge now. When he looked down, he saw the whale there, swimming lazily in the water. He began screaming madly, flailing his limbs to break free and get back on to solid plastic land. Surely, he would be dropped in any second. He could already see himself falling down, crashing into the water. The whale would catch him in mere seconds. "Murdoc! _Please_!" he begged, his voice cracking. There was no reply. 2D let out a terrified sob as a strong wind stole the hat from his head. He watched it fly away, falling gracefully to the water below.

Suddenly, 2D felt himself being pulled back and dumped back onto the beach. His arms were free, and he hid his face in his hands, openly sobbing. Murdoc, having already called the whale off, looked down at his band mate in disgust. Using the toe of a Cuban boot, he pried one of the crying man's arms from his face. 2D let the arm fall to his side, where its fingers brushed against the fake grass. "Oi," the bassist said, voice slurred ever so slightly. "Get up." When he did not receive an answer, or any form of response really, he took matters into his own hands, pulling the man up by his shirt. "Shut it, you git!" he barked, shaking 2D roughly. "I wasn't going to throw you off, for fuck's sake!" 2D sniffed, wiping his nose before dropping his other hand to his side. He shakily asked why Murdoc had to act in the way he did. "You know that I don't like whales, Muds." He added weakly. Murdoc scoffed, saying that's exactly why he did what he did. 2D instantly felt a flare of anger, and his damaged mind went offline, letting his common sense go out the window. He shoved against the bassist, tearing his shirt in the process because Murdoc wouldn't let go of it easily. "Sod off, Murdoc." 2D said, turning to walk away. He was stopped by Murdoc grabbing his arm tightly.

"You little shit. Do you really think that you can just walk away like that?" Murdoc growled dangerously. 2D stiffened, realizing too late the mistake he had just made. The painfully tight grip on his arm became worse, earning a small cry of pain from the singer. He turned around to pull his arm free without twisting it, and was met with a punch to the face. The sound of crunching glass met his ears, and he realized that he had been hit with the glass bottle. From there, it only got worse. Murdoc hit him over and over again until the thick glass finally shattered against a frail shoulder. He cast the ruined weapon over the edge, knowing all too well that he could make 2D's injuries ten times worse with the broken glass. However, they had to shoot a video in a few days; he couldn't have his singer appear with too many injuries, people would ask questions. Besides, he planned on filming another video or two after that.

2D groaned, shutting his eyes tightly. Weakly, he asked if he could have some of his pills. Murdoc complied, tossing a few of the green and white capsules to the ground. 2D quickly picked them up, swallowing them dry. With a final punch, Murdoc barked at 2D, telling him to get out of his sight. "Murdoc, please, don't make me go back to my room."

"If you don't get out of here I will, faceache!"

The bluehead yelped when the Murdoc advanced towards him. He took off running, not stopping until he was at the lift. When the doors opened he threw himself inside, pressing the button to take him to the one of the floors he had never been to before, the engine room. It was better than being above ground, for that was where Murdoc would be, and far more enjoyable than his underwater prison, he hoped. When the lift stopped and the doors opened, 2D gratefully stepped out.

"Eh, that you, boss?" a voice asked. 2D yelped, jumping back and pressing his back against the cold metal of the lift door. He considered making a run for it then and there, before he was spotted by this new figure. There wasn't enough time to do anything though before Dave walked up to him.

"You're a mess. What happened to you?"

"Murdoc. Look, could you not tell him that I'm down here? Please?" 2D asked, edging away slightly. He had met Dave a few times before when a pipe or something had broken in his room, and he was certain that he was a murderer. He was about as creepy as Murdoc could be at times, and twice as friendly the rest of the time. Dave shrugged, not really caring.

"Why should I?" he questioned. 2D was quick to say that he could get him some tea. Dave nodded, pleased. "Right. Well, off with you." 2D smiled gratefully, walking quickly over to a piece of machinery to get an empty cup before going over to the fridge to fill it to the brim with tea. When he had turned around, Dave was suddenly behind him. Feeling a little uncomfortable to be this close to the killer, 2D did the only thing he could think of.

"Eh, here you go." he muttered, holding the cup out. Dave took it with a grin before going back to what he had been working on, leaving 2D to wander around the room. He took this opportunity to look for a way to call for help. Dave had already returned to working on whatever he had been previously working on. As he began to search the room, he tried to pass it off like he was just having a look around. Not that it really mattered; Dave wasn't even paying him any attention anymore. The singer made his way down to the lower level, looking through everything and knocking some stuff over in the process accidentally until he finally came across an old cord phone. There was no way to tell if it even worked, but 2D knew he had to at least try it. With a sigh, he picked up the phone with shaky hands, holding the piece next to his ear. He almost cried with relief when he heard the dial tone. Quickly, he thought of who he should call. It was lucky enough that the phone worked at all, considering where he was; hopefully he could call someone and be able to talk to them. He dialed the only number he could think of. Rachel Pot picked up on the third ring.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Mum?"

"_Stuart_? Where are you? Darling, your father and I haven't heard from you in _months_; where on earth have you been?"

"I'm with Murdoc-"

"Is this about your band?" Rachel asked softly, picking up on 2D's tone. "What's happened?"

"Mum, you know how I was in Beirut? I'm not there anymore. Murdoc wanted to start another album for Gorillaz. I told him I didn't want to be in it, all things considered."

"Stuart, where are you _now_? What did he do?" she demanded. 2D sniffed once.

"He came to my flat and had me gassed. When I woke up, I was on some island made of plastic. I've been here ever since. He forces me to sing for the new album. He's drunk most of the time here. I think he'll kill me if I try and leave." He sniffed again, absently touching the throbbing bruise on his face. A stunned silence on the other end of the phone met his ears. "Mum?" he asked.

"Stu-" Rachel began, her voice rising in fury. 2D never found out what she had been about to say, because the line had been cut short. The singer stiffened, finally noticing the presence of someone behind him. He remained silent even as Dave slowly reached around to grab the phone from him.

"No phone calls." He said flatly to 2D. "No calls. If the police get here, if they hear word that I'm here, someone's going to get hurt." 2D nodded fearfully, standing up and backing away. It didn't take much to realize that he would be the one who would get hurt. Murdoc was the one providing the income, and the android could shoot him down. As always, 2D was the weak link.

"I think it's time for you to leave now."

AN: A bit OOC in some parts, or a lot if you want to be serious, but still fun to write! If you ask me, the fic doesn't get interesting until somewhere between chapters three and four, meh…


	2. Utopia

"Get out of here. If I catch you trying to call for help again, it won't be pretty." Dave threatened. Nodding quickly, 2D left for the lift. Had the situation been different, he would have come back anyway at some odd hour to have another go with the phone. However, he knew that Dave was serious, and he would most likely kill him or come close to doing so. 2D stabbed at the button, waiting anxiously for the lift to arrive.

"You won't tell him that I was down here, will you?" he asked softly over his shoulder. Dave scoffed.

"What, and have my pay docked? Are you bleeding mad?"

2D considered thanking him, but thought better of it. Dave was only helping him to save his own skin. He sighed sadly when the lift arrived and the doors opened. Now he'd have to find a new hiding place.

"Ah! There you are 2D!" Murdoc called from inside the lift. He seized the singer by his neck, hauling him into the lift and throwing him against the back wall. "So, what was he doing down here?" the bassist called out of the lift, poking his head out, eyeing the only other person who was on the island willingly. Dave shrugged.

"He pushed the wrong button, he did. We were just chatting before he decided to leave."

"Right. Well, be seeing you then. Hey, no more cutting power to my bookcase, eh?"

"Whatever you say, boss!"

Murdoc grinned, waving in a rather cheeky fashion until the lift doors closed again. 2D had moved as far away as he could in the confined space from his insane band leader. He expected to be hit again, or thrown to the whale for real. He was taken by surprise when Murdoc knelt down to his crouched position, an out of place look of kindness in his odd eyes. Clicking his tongue slightly, Murdoc reached behind him to his back pocket, pulling out a white handkerchief. He shook it once before bringing it to 2D's face to wipe away his tears. The singer was so stunned that he had been unable to move. Why was Murdoc suddenly being nice to him? It couldn't be the alcohol. Throughout his long stay on the floating hell, 2D quickly learned that Murdoc was a violent drunk, and he became even worse as the days went on.

"There now, Stu-pot. We can't have you looking like a wreck, not at all." Murdoc began softly. 2D wanted to point out that the way he currently looked was because of the bassist, but Murdoc had already covered his mouth lightly with the cloth. Actually, he had covered his nose too, making it difficult to breathe. "2D, I wanted to tell you that we are set to leave tomorrow for the video. Are you all ready for the trip?"

"No. I don't want to go, Muds." 2D said, pushing the cloth away. Murdoc brought it back up to his face again moments later.

"Why not? Think of it like a vacation. Don't you want to go off the island?"

"I can't breathe with this cloth on my face." 2D randomly stated, trying to move away. He was stopped by Murdoc slamming a green hand against the wall next to his head, startling him. 2D's wide and seemingly empty eyes stared up in fear at Murdoc, who had a strange, almost hungry look in his eyes. It made his skin crawl, and the singer desperately wanted to get away. He flinched when the bassist began speaking.

"That's the point. I need to keep an eye on you until tomorrow."

Murdoc applied more pressure until he was almost smothering 2D. The singer had begun to finally defend himself, and Murdoc had reacted accordingly by punching him in the gut. This forced 2D to gasp in pain, taking in more of the chloroform. Already his eyes had begun to droop. Another punch was delivered, earning a similar response. This kept up until 2D finally slumped over, fully unconscious. Nodding to no one in particular, Murdoc straightened up, pressing the button to take them to the lowest level of the island. He flicked some blood from shallow cuts on his arms. 2D had scratched him several times, and his rather long nails didn't help Murdoc too much. He decided to make the dullard cut his nails the next morning. Noodle was already there, and she became the one to drag the inert singer out and dump him on his bed. After the task was completed, she joined her creator in the lift. They went back down to the engine room together, where the android got off. She was in need of a full recharge. While many of the fans knew about her, the band, or just Murdoc really, couldn't allow her to become as defenseless as she would be during a recharge.

Meanwhile, Murdoc continued on up to his room. He was in need of a recharge himself, and retrieved a bottle of red wine from the shelf. The cork was removed in a way that showed he had done so many times before. As he began to drink straight from the bottle, he contemplated what 2D had been doing exactly in the engine room. While it was tempting to believe that the dullard had really pressed the wrong button, he couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right.

"Dammit." He growled, setting the bottle down. He left his room, heading for the lift to go back down to 2D's room. The door was sealed, all of the locks on it locked. Murdoc pressed his ear to the cool metal, trying to hear inside the underwater room. In reality, there was no way the singer could have bounced back from the drugs already. Against his better judgment, Murdoc unlocked the door. 2D was there on his bed, hanging off halfway in the position he had been in when he was dumped there. A pale finger twitched once. In the odd light seeping through the window, its curtains wide open, 2D had taken on a slightly blue color. His bruises stood out even more this way. Murdoc snorted. "Dullard, you look like some bloody zombie." The man drawled as he crossed to room. "Why don't you fight back for once? Pathetic sod," 2D remained silent, his face showing nothing other than the bruises and the lines left from his tears. Murdoc punched him hard in the shoulder, knocking 2D from the bed. From there, Murdoc kicked him in the side to move him over a bit. 2D had a box of fags on a shelf, which Murdoc was more than happy to help himself to. He lit one up, sucking in the toxic waste greedily before sitting on the edge of the bed to stare down at the singer. "You know what, Stu-pot?" Murdoc said. His voice dropped. "You're a complete idiot for crashing your face into my car. You ruined my life by making me have to care for you as a damn vegetable for an entire bloody _year_. Even still, for Satan's sake, you have the best voice that I've ever heard, you bastard. The band would have been nothing without it. It's too bad we couldn't have just your voice though, 'cause _I_ can't stand you." Murdoc glanced out the small window for a moment, taking a drag again and flicking the ashes on 2D's shirt. They smoldered a bit before going out. With a sigh, Murdoc quickly finished smoking. He killed the thing by smothering it against the plastic wall, leaving the burnt remains there as wall art. In his opinion, he was doing 2D a favor, adding a slight twist to the pink walls décor. Something like I Spy, the dullard would have to search to find it. Because he was usually locked away in this room for hours at a time, Murdoc guessed that it wouldn't take too long for his singer to find it.

Delivering a final kick to his singer, Murdoc left the room. He was tired, and there was no way in hell that he would sleep in 2D's room. The journey back to his room was fairly quick, and he grinned at the sight of his bed. The hats on top were quickly shoved off, and the man collapsed into the mattress, not bothering to remove his shoes. Five hours later, he awoke to Noodle prodding his shoulder. "Eh, what is it?" he slurred, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Noodle pointed out the window. "The helicopter has arrived. I told them to wait for one hour. There is now only forty-five minutes left." Noodle recited. Murdoc nodded, patting her head before crawling out of bed. He pointed to his door, ordering the little robot to wait by the lift while he got dressed. She saluted him, following his orders. The man snorted in amusement. How could that foolish singer not like the new Noodle? She was quiet, easy to manage, and always followed his orders. She also knew how to take care of herself, and was already dressed for the video

Murdoc paused, halfway through with pulling a fresh black shirt on. 2D. He would be a problem getting into the copter, after what had happened yesterday. The bruising was still most likely to be there. He would have to come up with a lie, like 2D falling down some stairs or something. "Damn kid makes me work too hard." The bassist grumbled, tying a red scarf around his neck. He went to join the young android by the lift, pressing the call button. Once inside, he pressed 2D's button, and the doors clicked shut before the entire thing shuddered and began to descend. "Noodle, make sure 2D doesn't try anything, alright?" he said, watching the buttons flicker. Noodle saluted him again. The lift came to a shaky halt, and opened its doors. "Let's get this over with." Murdoc muttered, unlocking the door to 2D's seemingly empty room. "Hey, faceache! Where the hell are you?"

The striped shirt lay in a discarded heap on the floor. For a wild moment Murdoc wondered if 2D had somehow gotten out, but thought better of it when he heard the sound of running water from the man's bathroom. Turning his head slightly, he found 2D. He was in the bathroom, holding a small rag under the cold water running from the tap. After a moment, he shut off the water, wrung out the cloth, and pressed it gently against his shoulder, wincing slightly. He looked up at Murdoc with his wide black eyes, holding eye contact for a few seconds before kicking the bathroom door shut with his foot. Somewhere behind the bass slayer, Noodle announced how much time they had left. Murdoc waved his hand blankly. "Thanks, love. Why don't you go and wait by the lift?" he said quietly, eyes still on the bathroom door. He didn't hear the android leave.

Had Murdoc Niccals been a different man, he would have felt sorry for Stuart. He would have given his head a good shake, asking himself: "Did I really do that to him?"

However Murdoc Niccals was Murdoc Niccals. All he could think of was that 2D had finally developed a spine, and that he was a little pissed about it. A voice in the back of his mind quickly reminded him that the singer was his responsibility. Ok, so he was filled with enough regret to cover a finger nail, big deal. The little voice took over, and suddenly Murdoc found himself back in the time when he had been forced to care for the comatose Stuart Pot. He grabbed a long sleeved white shirt and a plain short sleeved red shirt. He had noted that 2D was still in his jeans and boots, so he didn't bother with replacing them. He approached the closed door, adjusting the clothes in his hands so he could reach into his pocket to get the familiar bottle of pills. He dumped two out, returning the rest to his pocket. None too softly, he called through the metal, demanding that the singer let him in.

"S-sod off," 2D said, voice wavering as he tried to act brave for once. Murdoc couldn't help but roll his eyes. He had a witty comeback that he was about to use, but he was cut off by the sound of the water being turned back on. Making a face, Murdoc yelled over the water, telling 2D that he could be stupid and try to make himself feel better with water over pain pills if he really wanted to, but it would get him nowhere. The water was shut off again, and the door was opened quickly. He was either really sore, or just dumber than usual, Murdoc decided. 2D stared down at the two pills, grabbing and swallowing them before they could be taken back. When he was handed the shirts, he looked confused. "We're leaving for the video today. You'll be wearing this, and those trousers I suppose." 2D nodded slowly, taking the shirts. It took some time to get them on due to his injuries and Murdoc's lack of assistance. "By the way, you fell down some stairs, alright? That's what you will say if anyone asks."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because I'm the one who controls the whale, that's why." Murdoc shot back. 2D paled, taking a few steps back to create space. His hand hovered on the door, more than ready to barricade himself in the bathroom again if necessary. "Come on; don't make me get Noodle." Murdoc said, coaxing 2D out of the bathroom with the mild threat. It took several more minutes of sweet threats and baiting with painkillers before everyone was piled back in the lift, traveling back up to the roof. Murdoc, knowing that Dave wouldn't do it because he was too busy, went through the trouble to reopen the roof and make it accessible via the lift. It wasn't too difficult. After all, he had been the one who had built the place. 2D was the first to stumble out thanks to a shove from behind. The copters appeared far too similar to the ones used in the El Manana video, and its blades were spinning loudly, making his head hurt. He glanced pitifully at Murdoc, silently begging for another painkiller. Murdoc subtly shook his head. 2D tried again, failing again. The bass slayer knew that it would be considered strange if someone were to see him handing medicine to the singer, like the man was unable to carry it for himself. Luckily for him, a man from the copter came up to greet 2D.

"You must be 2D! Could I have your autograph? It's for my kids." The man said, laughing joyfully and ruffling the man's blue hair. He had a booming voice, so it had been easy to hear him. 2D nodded, accepting the pad of paper and the pen. He shouted to the man, asking what their names were, nodding to show that he heard when the man told him.

_To Daniel and Alex,_

_Be Whatever, forever and ever._

_2D_

_Oh, and watch out for Murdoc. He's a rotter._

2D quickly finished the autograph, flipping the page over before Murdoc could notice, scribbling a frantic note across the page:

_Murdoc has kidnapped me! Whatever he says is a lie, I didn't fall down any stairs!_

Trying to remain as calm as possible on the outside, the singer smiled, handing the paper and pen back to the happy man and climbed into the copter. Murdoc and the android were already there. The android had been shut down by Murdoc to avoid screwing up the computers in their ride, and it looked like it was only sleeping. 2D sat across from the android, as far away from Murdoc as possible.

F%**)&*$%#$*(&#&+)_&*_$#%&&((_#$#%**)&*)()_%$^^#&#*

AN: The first part of 2D's autograph is from a quote he said in phase 2 or something.

"_Rock'n roll is like space, right? It's infinite, innit, so you can like, be whatever. And I am whatever. Whatever is my father and my muvver. And my nan. You just gotta let it out. Forever and whatever, amen."_

The title of this chapter is from the band Within Temptation, so it's not mine.


	3. Escapist

"It'll be another minute or two, just sit tight." The man said loudly, poking his head into the cabin. Murdoc nodded back to him. Smiling, the man pulled back from the door, returning to his position next to the pilot. He took the time to read what the singer had written to his kids, making sure that there weren't any foul words. The seemingly sage words rolled of his tongue. Be Whatever, forever and ever. He chuckled, reading the postscript. His coworker, the pilot, leaned over suddenly to read it, curious. Smiling and shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the machine, pulling it up into the air. The letter was folded up and stored in the man's shirt pocket, and the desperate message on the back went unnoticed. 2D kept his face pressed to his window, eagerly watching his plastic prison become smaller and smaller. He couldn't believe that, after months of being trapped there, he was finally leaving, hopefully for good. "So long, you bloody landfill." he muttered under his breath. The singer continued to stare hungrily out of the window until there was nothing other than the open sea below him. With a sigh of contentment, he relaxed back into his seat, closing his black eyes.

"Murdoc, who's paying for this helicopter?" he asked twenty minutes later. For all he knew, which wasn't much, the bassist could have put the bill for paying the pilots on _his_ tab. Murdoc snorted.

"It's _mine_, faceache."

2D opened his eyes, scanning the cabin. The seats were black leather, and looked like they belonged in first class on a plane. Other things, like a mini fridge no doubt full of alcoholic drinks, were tucked away in the corner, opposite a turntable set in the wall. Suddenly, he became aware of some of their own music from Demon Days playing through a pair of modern speakers. This definitely belonged to Murdoc, so 2D closed his eyes again, not wanting to be reminded of the man. In minutes he was asleep with a small smile on his lips as he dreamt of finally being back on solid land.

He was shaken awake hours later by rough hands. He opened his eyes to see the man from before staring back at him, smiling again. "We've stopped for fuel. If you would like to get out to stretch your legs, I suggest that you go now, before we take off again. I'm not sure when you'll be able to do so again, but it shouldn't be too long." he said, patting 2D's good shoulder. He was rather vague, and 2D wondered if he meant that they were in for another long flight, or that the singer was about to be locked up again. 2D yawned widely, rising from his seat. "Where is everyone else?" he asked, looking out the door warily.

"Your band mates, you mean? I believe the man went into that building over there for a hot drink. The girl is still asleep, what a sweetheart." 2D grinned, ignoring the comment about the android, quickly thanking the man before jumping out of the cabin and running off in the opposite direction that he had been directed to. The place they landed in was like a strange cross between a gas station and an airport. It wasn't too big. If he ran fast enough, 2D would find himself in a small town in just a few minutes. He was lucky that the pilot was used to the odd behaviors of the famous, and did nothing to stop him. He figured that the singer had spotted a reporter or something. He watched the blue haired man run off, sighing and shaking his head before sitting down in the cabin of the copter. A hand made its way up to the pocket where he had stored the autograph, pulling the paper out to open it before the man's eyes. Raising an eyebrow, he turned the paper over.

"Shit." The man muttered, folding the paper and storing it back in his pocket. He rose, sticking his head out to look off in 2D's general direction. "Kid, you'd better run."

2D was flying down the tarmac, almost stumbling a few times. His smoker's lungs were begging for him to stop, but he refused to do so until he knew he was safe. Before him was an approaching fence, haloed by the setting sun. He jumped and climbed his way over it, avoiding the barbed wire with ease, having previous experience from when he had to run from fan girls after concerts. Risking a look behind him, 2D smiled again. He had put more distance between himself and Murdoc than he had first thought. He studied the land before him after turning back around; trying to judge how much farther he had to go. "Not too far. Come on Stu." he muttered. Taking a deep breath he set off, almost immediately tripping over his feet and tumbling down a hill. He came to a sudden halt at the bottom, groaning and cursing. Back from the way he had come, the faint noise of a car started up. It seemed to the singer that his absence had been noticed, and he realized that he was a sitting duck with no place to hide. Cursing again and hauling himself to his feet, he took off once more, fueled by adrenaline.

Murdoc emerged from the rest stop, slightly refreshed. He belched heartily, scratching his neck as he stood in the way of the door, finally moving when the person behind him poked his shoulder. Muttering a string of curses, he wandered back to his ride.

"2D, get out here, we're not stopping for anything other than booze for the next twenty four hours. I've a strict schedule that I must keep up with…" he trailed off, his mouth agape. The singer's absence had been noted. "Damn it all! Dullard!" Murdoc glared at the pilot, announcing that he was fired and he could worry about getting his own ass back home on his own time, for he, Murdoc Niccals, would not cover the expense.

The green man yanked his creation from the copter, stomping over to a car that had almost been waiting for him. He made a face at the five letter word on the grill before walking around to the passenger door, carefully setting Noodle down inside. He slammed the door, cursed the pilot, and got around to the drivers seat, throwing himself in. The key was already in the ignition, and all he had to do was turn it before setting gears and peeling out. Once he was out of the area, he called over to the robot, ordering her to wake up.

"Yes, Murdoc?" she chirped, adjusting her body into a more professional pose as she scanned the scenery rushing past.

"Keep an eye out, Noodle love."

2D came to a shuddering halt five minutes later, wheezing as he leaned heavily against a taco stand. The vendor stared at the blue haired man, noting the sweat running down his pale face and the dirt on his clothes.

"You want something?" he finally asked. 2D's ears perked at the man's American accent, nodding.

"You have water?" he gasped. The man nodded, pulling one out of a cooler.

"Three bucks." He said, hoping for some extra cash on the drink that was actually priced for a dollar and a half. He frowned when 2D shook his head.

"Sorry, mate. I'm broke."

"Then you're out of luck." The man said flatly, putting the water away. 2D stared at him, disbelief in his dark eyes. Here, he was basically half dead, and the bloke was denying him water? 2D could have paid him back later! It was only three American… er, dollar… things!

"…Crazy sod." 2D finally grumbled, staggering away to a coffee shop. Before entering, he inspected his reflection in the window. Shrugging, he stepped inside the shop. He knew that there had been days when he had looked worse. Cursing Murdoc and his car, the singer collapsed into the first vacant chair he saw, failing to see the mother and daughter sitting across from the seat. The girl looked up sharply, demanding that he get up because her imaginary friend was sitting there. The girl's eyes widened upon seeing his blue hair and black eyes. "What happened to your face?" she demanded. 2D stared at her, confused. He pointed to himself; silently ask if his face was the one in question. The little girl nodded.

"I got in a fight."

"Your eyes are all funny."

"Honey, stop bothering the man!" the mother scolded. Softening, he apologized for her child's behavior. "Are you alright?" she asked the singer. 2D shrugged, shaking his head.

"No, not exactly." He said, stiffening when he heard a car whiz past the shop. On instinct he ducked down lower in his seat. His eyes closed, and he forced himself to breathe evenly. The air left his nostrils, chilling his sweaty chest.

2D, suddenly inspired, approached the counter. He offered the girl at the register one of his winning smiles- winning when he still had all of his teeth, that is. He wasn't so sure how well that worked anymore on the general public. It must have worked on some level, for the girl smiled back; asking him what he'd like to order.

"Could I get a glass of water?" he asked, drumming a random melody out on the counter with his pale fingers. He was hoping to get the drink for free, assuming that the coffee house didn't charge for it. The girl nodded, hurrying off to fill the order. When she returned, she was slightly breathless, though she had hardly gone anywhere.

"Here you go Mr…" her voice died away, making it known that she wanted him to introduce himself.

"2D." the man responded, cursing silently when the girl's face went red. Warning bells went off in his head.

_It's a fan girl! Back away slowly!_

"Right, well, thank you, er, Paula…" he said, making the mistake of reading her nametag.

Paula giggled, practically drooling when he began walking away. 2D took a grateful sip of water, ignoring the girl as she followed him from the other side of the counter. She whispered to him, stating her undying passion for him. The man nodded slowly, shuffling away to sit at the seat across from the mother. He was betting that the women, and her kid, were not fans of Gorillaz, and that they would leave him alone. If they were, they were damn near professional at hiding it.

Still, he didn't want to take any chances and draw attention to himself. He hunched down in his seat, hiding himself from the windows behind him, and drank his water. With a small smile, he closed his eyes again, finishing the drink off with a few more swigs. He considered going back up to get another glass, but he knew that that would only end poorly. Crushing the plastic cup in one hand, he got up, wincing slightly, and went over to the trashcan to toss it. He returned to his chair, tripping on the edge of the coffee table in front of it along the way. The small child giggled at him, but was hushed by her mother. 2D ignored her, collapsing back in his seat, hitting his shoulder on the chairs old fashioned wing, regretting it seconds later. He bit his lip to keep himself from cursing, closing his eyes tightly.

The woman's gaze was full of pity. She leaned forward, placing her hand on his thin knee.

"I want you to come with me. You're hurt, and I want to help you."

2D stared at her with wide eyes. Could he trust this woman? She wasn't going to try to take advantage of him, was she? Another car raced past, and he flinched. The woman gave his knee a reassuring squeeze and smiled. Slowly, he nodded. The woman let her smile grow, quickly cleaning up the mess of empty cups of coffee and plates she and her daughter had used, throwing away the cups and leaving the plates for the workers to get by the trashcan, before going back to 2D.

"Do you have a name?" she asked sweetly, helping him get to his feet.

"Stuart. Stuart Pot." He said softly, as though he were worried someone would hear him. He was, actually. The young fan had been staring at him, trying to pass it off as watching the street outside the window. She was red in the face again, obviously jealous that he was talking to the woman rather than her. The woman nodded, introducing herself as Mary. The child, who was now hiding behind Mary, was named Amy. Shyly, Amy waved at 2D when she was introduced. He smiled softly, reminded of another little girl.

Mary led the way out of the coffee shop, down around to the back of the building where the parking lot was located. Down the ways, too far to hear but close enough to see, was the ocean. 2D paused; one leg already in the car after Mary had opened his door for him. He stared out, eyes vacant. "Is this your first time seeing the sea, Stuart?" Mary asked politely, touching his arm to get his attention. 2D gave a start, looking down at her and then back to the sea. "Hmm?" he asked. "Oh, right. No. I've seen it loads of times." He said climbing into the car. Amy threw herself in the backseat, diving for the teddy bear waiting for her. Mary buckled her in before going to her seat behind the wheel. As she began to drive away, she watched her new passenger with careful eyes. He was sitting rather stiffly, and he was constantly looking out the window and through the mirrors, like he was expecting something. "What's on your mind, Stuart?" she asked, trying to start a conversation. 2D looked back at her, sporting a deer-in-the-headlights look. "C'mon now, I know something is bothering you. I'm a mother, I know that look." She joked. The man sighed, glancing in the mirror to check that Amy wasn't listening.

"I… Well…" 2D began awkwardly, not knowing what to say without saying everything. In the end he just threw caution to the wind. "I'm a singer for a band. The band had split up a while back after our guitarist went missing, but the bassist wanted to make another album. I didn't want to be a part of it, but he said that the album wouldn't be successful without my voice."

"So you joined the band again?"

"No. He tracked me down, I moved after the band split, and kidnapped me. I've been with him on some island every since. He makes me sing. We, his idea, came here to film a video for one of the songs. I ran away the first chance I got. Where am I, by the way? I slept on the flight over."

"California." Mary said. Her mind was racing, trying to figure out if Stuart's story was true or not. It was rather far-fetched. "How did you get that bruise?"

"Murdoc's a drunk."

"I see. That's rather terrible for you. You're not hurt anywhere else, are you?" she asked hesitantly. The bruise on the singer's face looked too much like a bottle in its shape. She frowned when he looked away, more or less saying that he was. "Did he knock your teeth out?"

2D chuckled, glancing back at her. "Yes," he said "But that was a long time ago, and an accident."

"How can you stand to stay with him? Why not file for a restraining order? Stuart, this is not healthy for you." Mary said firmly, hitting her hand against the wheel to get her point across. She wanted to say more, but she knew that he was an adult. It wasn't her job or place to act motherly to him when he was most likely only a few years younger than her. Besides, they had made it back to her house. She pulled into the driveway, shutting the car off. "Stuart, promise me that you won't allow yourself to be hurt like this again, okay? You deserve better." 2D glanced at her, unease evident in his black eyes. Amy, impatient, set herself free from her seat and ran inside, yelling for Daddy because she knew that he was home from work. 2D watched her go, blinking. Finally, he answered with two words:

"I suppose,"

"It's a start," Mary smiled, getting out of the car. 2D was quick to follow when she invited him to dinner. It wasn't much of an invite because he had already been asked to stay, but it certainly got his interests. They walked up the short gravel path to the front door, breaking ranks when Mary ordered the singer to go to the bathroom and wash off while she went and got the food together. Thankfully for her, her husband was the actual cook in the family. When she walked into the kitchen she saw that he had prepared a meal of steak, salad, and potatoes, and soup. She made her way over to the chef, giving him a quick peck on the cheek, smiling when her daughter giggled. "Do you think this came be split four ways, Jay? We have a guest."

Jay shrugged, sizing up the meal. He shrugged. "I don't see why not. Want to help me set the table?"

"I do!" a small voice called. Amy ran to the silverware drawer, grabbing fistfuls of forks and spoons before running to the table. "I'm helping!" she cheered. Mary laughed, hugging her daughter close. "I know you are, sweetie! Thank you!"

2D watched this from the doorway with a sad smile on his face. He had washed the dirt and grime from his face, neck, and arms and gave his best effort in making his hair look clean. It's not that he suddenly cared about his appearance; he was worried that he would get thrown out if he was too dirty. The house was a very clean one, free of dust and dirt. He was practically starving.

Jay had just finished setting the plates out when he looked up, noticing the tall man in the doorway. Instantly, he moved over casually to shield his daughter. Mary slapped his shoulder in a joking manner. "Jay, he's our guest!" she whispered. Turning to 2D, she smiled. "Come on over, Stuart! Dinner is ready."

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AN: The title for this chapter is from the band Nightwish, so it's not mine.

I sort of "borrowed" names for Jay (_The Great Gatsby_… I love that old sport) and Paula. If you don't know who Paula is, you're either new to Gorillaz, or you shouldn't be here. Just kidding! Anyway… Please leave a review!


	4. Outside

"So, what brings you to the States, Stuart?" Jay asked. He had been properly introduced to the singer only minutes before. 2D paused, halfway through chewing a bite of salad.

"Band stuff. I'm in a band, we're filming a video."

"Sounds cool. What's it gonna be?"

"I don't know. They wouldn't tell me." 2D muttered, looking down at his food. Mary coughed, quickly asking Amy to tell Jay what they did that day.

"We went to Starbucks, Daddy!"

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Murdoc was rather pissed. He had been driving around for what seemed like hours, trying to find his stupid singer. He could not believe that pilot allowed him to run away like that. As soon as the video was finished and the band was back on Plastic Beach, someone would pay dearly.

"Murdoc."

The bass slayer glanced over to the android, riding shotgun with a shotgun in her hands. He grunted, giving her permission to speak.

"Murdoc, I believe we should stop. This is the first area of civilization from the helicopter. He would have gone this way. People would have seen him."

"Love, I think you're right. I'm sick of driving anyway." Murdoc said simply, patting her head. They had been driving in a circle, gradually growing, hoping to find the singer running through a field. Thankful to have a reason to stop, Murdoc pulled over. "Noodle, go and ask around, only to people who look like they've been there for a while. Pretend that 2D is your brother, and that you're looking for him. Leave the gun here." He commanded. Noodle nodded, setting the gun in the backseat on the floor before evacuating the car. She began to make her way down the street, ignoring all of the tourists and shoppers. Her eyes were trained on the workers on the streets and in the shops. There were plenty of these, too many of them. She quickly cancelled her attention held over the workers working at places such as bookstores and clothing stores. 2D would have never gone there. He would want food or painkillers. In all the time she had known the man, she had begun to notice things about him.

Murdoc would sometimes forget to go down to his underwater room to feed him for days at a time. 2D was always looking for food. Ever since he had lost possession of his drugs, he began to almost ask for nothing but their safe return. They were as important as food to him. She stopped suddenly, noting the food stand to her left.

"Excuse me," she called out, approaching the pretzel stand. The worker made a face at the androids choice of clothes, smiling anyway. "I'm looking for a man with blue hair. He is my brother. He is rather tall." Noodle explained. The vendor deflated a bit, realizing that the young girl wasn't going to buy anything. She pointed up the street, to another vendor who was beginning to close up. "I saw a guy like that run past. He was talking to that guy."

Noodle nodded, turning to approach the new vendor. With a click, she repeated her story to the man. He shrugged. "Yeah, he was here about an hour or two ago. What a cheap foreign bastard. He went in that coffee house. No, he's not there anymore. He left with Mary and her kid."

"Who is Mary?"

"She's the local wanna- be saint. Every time she sees a bum or whatever on the streets, she buys them food or something. If he left with her, then they're probably at her house. Most of the stores are closing up, ya'know? Not many places to get food out here now."

"It is urgent that I find my brother as soon as possible."

"Yeah, whatever. She lives in the old firehouse down that way. Fifteen minutes tops by car. You have a ride, kid?"

Noodle was already gone, walking away back to Murdoc and the car to give him the news.

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2D had offered to help with washing the dishes after dinner, but Mary politely refused his offer. "No, Stuart, it's alright. Actually, I would like you to come with me. I want to show you where you'll be staying while you're here." She explained. The singer, who had just been hugging Amy goodnight, froze. The child in his arms giggled at the shocked expression on his face, kissing his cheek before wriggling free to follow her father up to her room for a bedtime story. He straightened up slowly, grinning and trotting after the woman as she went up the stairs. All the way, he began babbling happily.

The guest room was painted a pale green. The bed had sheets of a comforting cream color with embroidered flowers. A plush chair, dresser, and full length mirror were also present, giving the smaller room a filling without making it look too crowded. 2D was speechless. He had never gotten used to the kind woman; he thought the free meal had been enough. Now, she was giving him a place to stay for awhile. He turned, hugging Mary.

"Thank you…" he murmured. He had forgotten what it was like to feel such kindness, such warmth, from anyone. It was nice.

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Murdoc, with the assistance of Noodle, had found the firehouse in less than two hours. They could have found it sooner, if Murdoc hadn't stopped for a drink. He was still able to drive, but barely. They were currently parked across the street, waiting for a signal that would never come. Murdoc coughed harshly, adjusting the gun in his arms. He had "borrowed" it from his little robot, arming her instead with a rag and a bottle of chloroform.

"That dullard, he's got some nerve." The man grumbled, scowling. Noodle tilted her head to the side, not exactly listening to her creator as she put the majority of her attention on the house. She was working out the best way to get in and out, and how she would complete her part in the mission to recapture the blue haired man. She blinked, straightening her head and turning to look at Murdoc.

"Murdoc, I have a plan." She said quietly. The man blinked, smiling crookedly.

"Well, by all means, love, do tell…"

Twenty minutes, the plan had been put into action and carried out, just in time. Now, all they had to do was wait.

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As tempting as it was to fall into the fresh bed and fall asleep, 2D knew that he wanted to stay with this nice family even more. So, when Mary turned to leave, he got up from the side of the bed where he had just sat down on, following her out. Mary took the hint. "I'll be in the kitchen, but Jay should be in the living room. He's actually rather curious about you. We don't get to meet many new people around here." She said before excusing herself. 2D nodded, turning off to the living room. He hesitated at the doorway, waving to the other man who had been lounging in a chair. Jay waved him over to the neighboring couch, shutting the book he had been reading.

"What's up, Stu?" he asked. 2D shrugged, saying that he just wasn't tired enough to go to bed yet. He leaned forward suddenly, picking up the days newspaper that had been abandoned there earlier. Jay watched with curiosity as 2D's eyes scanned the front page, going over some of the articles before going to look at the date it had been printed. The man couldn't help but wonder how he could read the paper at all. "Are you looking for anything in there? The sports aren't in there; I walked off with them, but I'd be glad to go and get them if you wanted." He offered. 2D shook his head, his face paling as he saw the date printed up in the corner of the paper.

"How recent is this paper?" 2D asked. Jay was surprised at his sudden shaky tone to his voice.

"It's from this morning." He said slowly, eyebrows knitting together. "Why, is something wrong?"

"Can I use your phone? Please?" he practically begged, wincing. "And you wouldn't happen to have any painkillers, would you? I've suddenly come down with a terrible migraine." Jay nodded, handing him the phone before walking briskly out of the room to get some medication and a glass of water. 2D shakily turned the phone in his hands, staring at the numbers. He never wanted to actually call anyone, at least not now. He wasn't sure if he could handle talking to them. The newspaper's date meant that he had been trapped on Plastic Beach for several months, missing from the rest of the world. With a sick feeling in his stomach, he returned the phone to its cradle before hiding his face in his hands.

Jay, after grabbing a few pills and some water, quickly made his way back to the living room. 2D didn't notice him, so he cleared his throat. The singer either didn't hear, or he was ignoring him. Perhaps it was a little of both. Jay set the items in his hands down at the coffee table, sitting down next to the blue haired man. Unable to help himself, he asked the man what it was that had bothered him. 2D peeked at him through his fingers, scanning around before finding the pills. Seizing all of them at once, he swallowed them dry, nodding gratefully at Jay as the pain in his head began to clear.

"Sorry, I get migraines pretty often. I've been hit in the head a few times to many. What were you saying?"

"The date on the paper, remember?" Jay ventured, feeling bad as 2D's face fell.

"It's been awhile since… I've been sort of isolated, you see. The date shocked me. I've missed my mother's birthday too…" He sighed. "I think I'll go to bed now. Thank you for the pills and everything."

2D shuffled off, stopping briefly in the kitchen to say goodnight to Mary before heading on up to his temporary room, climbing the stairs slowly. He had been gone from the rest of the world, held captive on a floating landfill, for months. Life had continued on without him. "Perhaps all I need is a nice rest," he muttered, distracting himself with a yawn. He opened his door, stepping in and turning the light on to see Murdoc Niccals standing on his bed, with Noodle's gun aimed at him. Gasping, 2D instantly took a step back, only to be stopped by the android that had been hiding on the opposite side of the door in plain sight. She grabbed him, pinning his arms to his sides with one of her own mechanical arms. There was a pause, filled only by Murdoc's dark chuckle. His face split into a horrible grin.

"Peek-a-boo, Stu-Pot! Looks like I found you!"

2D reacted on instinct, struggling to free his arms. He knew that he had been caught.

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AN: I've been holding back on this story due to the fact that I'm trying to finish another story right now (cough cough, go look at the other story, cough), so sorry about the wait! I _had_ been working on chapter eight for this story, but that was a dead end so I've changed the plot, starting at chapter five! So… I'm not sure when I'll patch everything up, but it shouldn't take too long.

The title of this chapter is from the band Staind, so it's not mine.


	5. World Falls Away

He was silenced moments later by a familiar cloth being forced over his nose and mouth, eliminating the possibility of calling for help. Instantly, the sickly sweet smell of chloroform invaded his senses. He kicked back, ramming his foot into the androids knee. His hands clawed uselessly at his sides, and he kicked the robot a few more times. Finally, he twisted free, letting strangled cry leave his throat as he ran for the door.

"Help me! Jay, Mary! _Help_!" he shouted out, screaming when Noodle reacted.

The android jumped at him again, turning and knocking him into the wall instead, trapping him there with her powerful arms and returning the cloth to his face.

Murdoc and Noodle had managed to break in by crawling up the drain pipe; this took some time for the bassist to do, and forcing their way in through an unlocked window. Lucky for them, it brought them straight into 2D's room. They heard him just outside the door just as they had crawled in through the window. Noodle hid herself instantly, and Murdoc decided to remain in plain sight. He wanted to see the look on his singers face when the dullard saw that he was no longer safe.

It had been worth it, but the bassist was beginning to regret his actions. There had been enough time for the idiot to shriek like a little girl. He had probably been loud enough to wake the undead back at what was left of Kong Studios. They had to act quickly before…

Murdoc cursed angrily as another man burst into the room, quickly followed by a woman with soapy hands. She dried them off as best as she could on her jeans, looking around until she saw 2D, weakly struggling against a young girl. The young girl had drugged him. Now that there was an actual threat however, she released the singer, allowing him to collapse into a heap before she lunged at Mary, knocking her from the room. Her orders were to defend Murdoc if necessary, not kill. The woman was left in the hall. Terrified, Mary stared back into the room, her gaze locking on that of the blue- haired man struggling to get up. Stuart's eyes slowly made their way over in her direction. His lips parted, and he managed to form a single word, which came out as a whisper.

"Mur-doc."

The robotic girl glanced between them for a moment, analyzing the situation before finally kicking the door shut. For good measure, she locked it, grinning evilly when the woman on the other side threw herself against it. The singer closed his eyes, shaking his head and biting his lip. He gave a start, opening his eyes again when the two other men began shouting at each other, turning slightly to see what was going on. Jay had grabbed a hold of the gun and was trying to get it away from Murdoc's green hands, with minimal success. Murdoc was leering at him, and Jay caught the strong tang of alcohol on his breath. He almost had the gun when he gave a great pull, kicking Murdoc in the shin at the same time, but was stopped by Noodle's interruption. She punched him in the gut harshly, knocking the wind from him. Murdoc laughed, taking the gun back to knock the injured man down. Jay clutched his stomach, gasping. "Jay…" 2d wheezed, crawling a few paces towards the fallen man to help him and also, possibly, get some protection from the bassist. The drugs were still affecting him, and he was very unsteady. Still, he saw the way Murdoc grinned down at him, revealing his pointed teeth as he got closer. "Murdoc, don't!" Oblivious to the singer's plea, the bassist slammed a Cuban heeled foot down in a kick to Jay's side, earning a cry of pain from the other man. He turned to face his singer, pulling him up from his half kneeling position and shoving him towards the cyborg, who caught the lanky man easily. Without another word, Murdoc bid Jay a fond farewell, kicking him again before crawling out of the window, stopping to sit on the ledge and keep an eye on his creation his singer. Noodle had returned the rag to 2D's face, applying pressure as he weakly attempted to free himself. She started walking over to the window, dragging 2D along with her.

She hadn't realized that her captive had been holding his breath. True, it kept the drugs out of him, but it also denied his body the air it needed, so his trick would only work for so long. With a grunt, 2D wriggled an arm free, punching the cyborg in the face with the back of his hand. His aim had been dead-on, and her face swung open, revealing the wild maze of wires and machinery beneath. Desperately, he clawed at the stuff, pulling a few wires loose. Black spots began to dance behind his bruised eyes.

Jay watched this with shock, crying out when the young woman's face swung open. He was never one to be fond of robot movies or anything of the sort; he didn't even enjoy _The Terminator_ when it came out, it freaked him out. Now was the perfect opportunity to get over that. Setting his discomfort aside, he got to his feet, lunging at the girl. Murdoc cursed loudly, aiming the gun. There were several things wrong with what was about to happen. First off, the man had no real intention to actually shoot Jay, and he was too drunk to even land a hit in the first place to actually do any damage. Second, he was angry, thus even more unfocused. From the other side of the door came Mary's voice, screaming in terror as the sound of gunfire rang through the house. Other than that, it was silent. 2D managed to get away from the cyborg, by means of falling to the ground, before she had been shot. Jay helped him up, pulling him away a few steps. Both men gaped at the girl as she began sparking, smoke curling up into the air from the fresh bullet wound to her head.

She seemed to glare at her creator for a moment, as if she blamed him for what had just happened, before falling in an awkward heap to the floor. 2D gaped.

"Muds, you _shot_ her!" he gasped in disbelief. The green man sneered at him, clearly pissed off.

"It's your fault, you sodding fool!" he snapped, jumping from his perch to check on his creation. A tense moment of silence followed, broken again only by Mary.

"No it's not!" the singer defended.

"For Satan's sake, shut your cake hole, woman! No one's dead in here!" Murdoc roared. He sighed, turning and looking up at 2D, rising to his feet as he did so. The singer instantly shrank back. Murdoc was holding the gun the wrong way, raising it high above his head, prepared to strike. Knowing what was about to happen, 2D lunged away, Jay close behind. Someone, Jay, grabbed him by the arm, trying to pull him out of the way as the leader of Gorillaz prepared for another hit. It didn't work, and Murdoc hit him upside the head.

2D's world began to spin, and he fell to his knees. In the back of his mind, he could hear Jay and Murdoc shouting. One voice was closer than the other. His eyes rolled in the back of his head, and he allowed himself to pass out, knowing, hoping, that he was still somehow safe.

He awoke hours later to the sound of some old rock music playing. He had no idea where the music was coming from… oh well. It was oddly familiar, and he didn't enjoy its sound. 2D shook his head to try and get the sound out of his head, succeeding and groaning as a migraine flared up behind his damaged eyes. Cursing lightly, he rose from the couch he had apparently been sleeping on, stretching lightly before making his way to the kitchen. Mary, who was nursing a cup of coffee, smiled warmly at him.

"Good Morning, Stuart. Sleep well?" she inquired. The singer shrugged.

"It was alright. I had the strangest dream though," he smirked, looking out the window. "I thought that Murdoc was here."

"Murdoc is the other man in that band of yours, right?"

"Yeah, bass."

2D nodded in thanks, accepting the fresh cup of coffee that the woman offered to him. He wasn't exactly fond of the drink, at least that's what he thought, but he enjoyed having something to hold in his hands and to distract his wandering mind. His hands began to gently tip the mug this way and that, and his eyes instantly became fixated on the way the coffee sloshed around. It was rather nice. Suddenly the singer blushed, remembering that he was not alone in the room. He smiled sheepishly, taking a small sip of his warm drink. The small sip, once 2D found that he enjoyed the drink enough, grew into a large swig. He finished the drink with a large sigh, leaning on one hand on the counter and trying to pass off his odd drinking habit as something normal.

"So," he began slowly, glancing down at the empty mug as he tried to think of something to say. "Eh, where is everyone?" He was caught off guard when Amy ran into the room, throwing her small body at him and wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight hug. She greeted him, giggling. Her affectionate attack caused the singer to loose his balance, and he just managed to hang on to the counter. Mary snatched the mug from his hand, and he righted himself, grabbing the child to give her a hug.

"Morning, love!" he said, grinning. Amy squealed, hugging him tightly.

"Daddy wanted me to come and get you; he has something to show you!"

2D glanced over at Mary, who gave a nod of approval, smiling. The man adjusted Amy until she was riding piggy back before setting off, laughing at the kids giggles. She reminded him of Noodle, when the young guitarist had first arrived at Kong. Still, this child was clearly not even eight yet, but he enjoyed the feelings of déjà vu. "Which way do we go, love?" he asked. A small finger was thrust over his shoulder, pointing the way towards a partially closed door. 2D trotted over, opening the door the rest of the way and stepping in. He found himself in a study, with Jay sitting behind a desk. The American waved him over, waiting until the singer had a view of the computer monitor and the article presented on its glowing surface. The article read: "2D, the next missing Gorilla?"

2D's smile instantly fell. Amy, sensing the mood spiral down, slid off of the tall man's back, leaving the room to go back to her mother. The singer didn't notice this; he only saw the black and white photo that went with the article. It showed himself with two other men and a young girl, who was wearing a white helmet. The large man beside Stuart was laughing, holding the girl, who was also laughing, up on his shoulder. Stuart had his arms positioned in a way that it was clear that he was the one who put the girl up there. His smile was rather impish, aimed at the other man. The third adult was standing off to the side, looking cool. He was the only one who had noticed that they were getting their photo taken.

"Oh." 2D said, feeling his mouth go dry. Jay glanced up at him for a moment, and the singer quickly shook his head, trying in vain to clear his mind. He shuffled off to sit in another chair a few feet away. "…Noodle, the girl there, she went missing after we had filmed the El Manana video. That was a few years ago."

There was a long pause, and the singer covered his eyes with one hand, frowning. Jay waited for him to get composed before clearing his throat lightly. "Stuart, it says that you went missing in your apartment in Beirut a few months ago." 2D bit his lip, nodding slowly. "Stuart, people have been looking for you, do you know that? They really have, so you haven't been forgotten. And now that you've technically been 'found' you won't have to worry about ever returning to Plastic Beach."

2D looked up, smiling slightly. Jay had said the very words he had so longed to hear. He wouldn't be a prisoner any more.

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AN: The title for this chapter is from Seether. Not mine, as usual. Reviews are love!


	6. How Far We've Come

If 2D were startled at the fact that Jay knew where he had been, he didn't show it. He rubbed the back of his neck, quickly asking if there was anything else in the article. Jay shrugged.

"It depends, Stuart. Do you want me to call you 2D? No? Well then, the article goes on to talk about the other members of your band. Brief details, nothing more." He paused, looking over at the singer. "Pardon me for asking, but who was here last night? The girl, I mean."

2D snorted. "That's just a robot. Murdoc made it to look and act like Noodle." He said, his voice trailing off until only an awkward silence remained. 2D bit his lip. "Uh, is that all?" 2D suddenly wanted to leave. There was no actual reason behind this, other than the fact that he suddenly felt that something was wrong. Jay waved at him, and 2D fled the room, walking quickly back downstairs. He found Mary in front of a TV, watching _The Fifth Element. _

_Currently, Bruce Willis was shooting a ring of bullet holes into a floor above him. All of a sudden, the floor gave away, and the man who had been laying on it fell through, screaming in fear the entire trip down. He looked up at Bruce, coughing. Worriedly, he asked what he was doing._

_Almost as if he wasn't paying attention, Bruce twisted a knob of some sort on the spiked object he was holding. "Count to… ten." Suddenly, he threw the object up, lodging it in the remaining ceiling before grabbing the other man off the ground and tossing him under a stray card table, sliding under it seconds later._

"_Korben, was that a bomb?"_

"_Just shut up and count!"_

_One, two three! Four! Five! Six! Seven, eight! Nine!" he stopped counting, shrieking in terror as the bomb went off behind them. A few moments of tense silence followed, broken only by his strangled gasps, before the man began screaming again._

Mary chuckled, glancing over her shoulder one and winking at the singer. She waved at him, beer bottle in hand. 2D raised an eyebrow, making her laugh.

"What, haven't seen this movie before, 2D?" she asked. 2D shook his head, saying that he had seen it years ago. "Well, what is it then?" Mary smirked, taking a swig of beer.

"I didn't know that you drank," he mumbled, looking off to the side a bit. Somehow, seeing the woman drink just looked so wrong. There was another bottle or two next to her though, and really wanted one, so he sat down next to her. Polite as always, she offered him one, which he accepted rather quickly. He stuck around until the drink was gone before excusing himself. It had taken him only five minutes to finish the beer, and he had tried to make it last for as long as possible.

He left the bottle on the coffee table, next to several others. He rubbed his eyes.

"I'll see you around, Mary."

"Right, dullard."

2D froze, his blood running cold. As he slowly turned to face the woman, she glanced up at him, bored. One eye was shining red. 2D fled the room, tripping over his feet, not bothering to get up.

"What's going on?" he groaned, sitting up to rest against the wall. He wrapped his arms around himself. "I must have had too much to drink…" Suddenly, it clicked. How could Jay have possibly known that he had been at Plastic Beach? Who told Mary that he went by 2D? They could have simply looked it up, right? It was still safe.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As soon as he opened his eyes, he'd wake from this strange dream.

One,

Two,

Three.

"Morning, face-ache!" Murdoc cheered, slapping 2D's face lightly. "I thought you were a vegetable again. I swear, if you were I'd save myself the trouble and just strangle you."

2D stared up at the bassist with eyes as wide as saucers. He would have said something, asked where he was, but his mouth had suddenly gone dry. For the first time ever, Murdoc seemed to be genuine about killing him. Even worse, the bass slayer didn't even seem to care.

"You know, I really don't like Americans," Murdoc complained, massaging his bruised fist, which had been injured the night before. He stood, leaving 2D for a seat on the edge of an unmade bed. "All they care about is themselves! Those bloody fools! Don't they know I've got a video to shoot?"

"How did I get here?" 2D finally managed to ask, looking around. Murdoc gave him a look, so the singer sighed and glanced away; fidgeting in the straight jacket he had at some point been forced into. "I mean, where am I?"

"You, old chum, are in the US of A. Holiday Inn. Don't ask how I managed to get you in here without anyone noticing. It's a very unpleasant story."

"Are you drunk?"

Murdoc slipped a crooked grin, and that was answer enough. 2D tried to edge away, failing terribly. Due to the current position he found himself in, sitting in a dusty corner, he couldn't get very far at all. While this was going on, Murdoc began talking again.

"That bloke almost had me, but one hit and _pow_, he was down. For Satan's sake, don't look at me like that! I didn't kill him; just hit him on the head. It worked for you, and I was under the impression that your skull would shatter, considering all the times you've been hit there."

2D wasn't amused. "You do know that's mostly your fault, right?"

Murdoc stopped grinning, raising an eyebrow. "Do you think I care?"

"No… Can I leave now?"

Murdoc looked down intently to the singer, then to the door. "Sure, I'll just open the door and you can just waltz out of here."

2D's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"No! Damn, you're so thick. Besides, you won't get far if you tried. I took your shoes."

The singer glanced down at his feet, seeing the pink socks on his feet. The boots were on the other side of the room. "Why would you take my shoes?"

Murdoc didn't answer, suddenly making a face and getting up to go into the bathroom. 2D assumed the other man had eaten something that didn't agree with his current all- alcohol diet, assuming the worst. However, this wasn't the case. Murdoc had simply stored the cyborg in the bath tub to keep her from leaking oil everywhere, and was going to check on her. A bag of tools was beside the tub. Noodle was fairly patched up. She sat up, looking at her creator when he entered. A slim arm was raised, its hand folding until a single finger was left extended. Noodle pointed to her head, where the gaping bullet hole remained. Murdoc had done all he could the night before, after wasting an hour of smuggling 2D up to the room, to patch the little robot up.

Why take an hour to get 2D in the room? Murdoc shrugged it off. After stuffing the idiot in another suitcase and putting him on a trolley, he left the "luggage" and headed to the hotels bar. Some unfortunate couple mistook their stolen suitcase as their own, which it was, and brought it up to their room. Long story short, they were rather shocked to find 2D stuffed in the luggage. Murdoc had just managed to track them down before the police came, and by then he had left for another hotel. Noodle had been in the car the entire time, missing out on all the action.

"Sometimes I wonder why I still put up with him," Murdoc grumbled, digging through the bag to find something to fix Noodle's head trauma. He cursed. Somehow, amidst all the chaos, a hole had been torn in the bag, allowing a few tools to fall out. Murdoc glanced over at Noodle, who stared back. "On the plus side, love, it is very dramatic, that bullet hole of yours. As long as you still function properly, I see no reason to patch it up."

Noodle only chirped in reply. The circuitry responsible for her speech had been destroyed. Murdoc grimaced.

"Right, you'll be a mute then." Murdoc sighed. "Keep an eye on the dullard, love. I'm going out for a quick drink. Actually, on second thought, just stay put. I'll be taking him with me. Why don't you watch that film you like while we're gone?"

Murdoc grinned at the cyborg's slight interest in this offer before leaving the bathroom and closing the door behind him. He kicked the vacant pair of boots over to their owner, instructing the man to put them back on, due to the occasion of them going out for a few drinks. 2D only stared up at him. Clearly, Murdoc thought him capable of being able to put the shoes on without the assistance of hands. The green man went to wait by the door leading out to the hallway, a look of impatience on his aging face.

"Look, I haven't got all day."

"I can't do much of anything with this sodding jacket on." Idiot, he added to himself. Who said that he had to go out for drinks anyway? If Murdoc was gone, then that meant that the singer could try and have another go at escaping. The cyborg was broken too. The moment was too perfect to pass up. Murdoc's mind must have been on the same track, though slightly derailed, for he approached the man, pulling him to his feet and freeing his hands. He punched 2D, sending the man back to the ground to pull his boots on. 2D only did this because he wanted his shoes back. "I don't want to get drinks, Murdoc. Not with you."

Murdoc kicked him. 2D cried out, quickly ripping the jacket off and flinging it at the other man. He then lunged at him, landing a punch on Murdoc's green face. The force behind this attack was minimal, so an actual threat of bruising was nonexistent. There wasn't another opportunity for attack after that.

"You tosser!"

"Get off me, idiot!"

The fight was cut short by Cyborg Noodle. She had hobbled out of her bathtub, opened the bathroom door, and simply stood there, gun pointed towards them. While 2D wasn't exactly scared of his former idol, he did fear this creation. He instantly loosened his iron grip on Murdoc's shirt and relaxed the fist he had just pulled back. Murdoc saw this opportunity and roughly shoved the taller man away before stalking on unsteady feet to the door. Orders were barked to the cyborg, commanding her to keep an eye on 2D and make sure that he stay in the room, and then the bassist left. The door slammed shut behind him, and the room was left in silence.

Noodle had pulled the gun back into her throat, which did nothing to lessen the singer's nerves. In an effort to get her to leave he pointed down at her feet.

"Erm, you're leaking oil everywhere."

She didn't even blink. He tried again.

"Murdoc won't like it if he sees that you made a mess of oil everywhere, why don't you just hop on back in that tub, yeah?" He waited, standing for what seemed like a minute or so, until he was absolutely sure that the robot would do absolutely nothing about the terrible stain that was spreading across the floor. The only positive thing 2D could get out of this was that she had at least put away the gun. What was even better was that there was a mini bar in the room, stocked full of alcoholic drinks that were provided by the hotel and somehow ignored by Murdoc. None of the drinks were exactly cheap in price. With a shrug 2D claimed several bottles of some drink, he hadn't bothered to check what they were, but he knew they cost the most out of the lot, and went over to the couch, opening the first bottle along the way. He flicked the television set on, settling into the fluffy couch as some boring film came on. 2D's attention was focused on his drinking more than anything, determined to somehow get away, and make Murdoc pay for it. If the singer had been a bit more optimistic, he could have pointed out that the cyborg had done nothing to stop him. Then again, she was technically broken, so that wasn't much to go by.

At least five bottles later, 2D was sprawled out on the couch. For some reason or another he had taken it upon himself to open all of the bottles of drink in the room. It was difficult to tell how much he had consumed, because all of the bottles were missing a varying amount of their contents. While this had gone on, Noodle simply stood there. Unbeknownst to the slumbering drunk, she had powered down by accident almost immediately after Murdoc had left.

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AN: Well, they have to get the video over with, so Murdoc was bound to get him sooner or later… Too bad for 2D that it had to happen so quickly!

_The Fifth Element_ isn't mine, nor is the title for this chapter, which is from Matchbox Twenty. Type in "Chris Tucker Scream" on YouTube to see the awesome link from TFE! ;3

Has anyone else been wondering why 2D has that clown mask on all the time? Turns out, at least for Stylo, he wore it to "hide" a hangover he had. I don't see how a mask would help in the least, but there you go.


	7. Meetings

The singer was still out cold when Murdoc returned. The green man scowled at him but chose to not waste the energy of beating the shit out of him, not when the video was so close. He was in enough trouble already, if one decided to look at the situation from a paranoid point of view. One could also take in the fact that he now had someone with him.

Murdoc had the misfortune of running into someone on his way out the door. Apparently, this other man was staying in the room across from them. He had been about to go in for a quick rest before he heard the sounds of the fight. When Murdoc ran into him, the man was just standing there in the middle of the hall, room key in hand.

"Sorry," the man said quickly, stepping back. "I, uhh… Is everything alright in there?"

He spoke with a Cockney sort of accent, like 2D. Murdoc glared at him, rolling his odd eyes at the sight of the man. He looked sort of like his stupid singer too, as far as body went. He was tall like him, and gangly. Murdoc continued to stare. The mystery man scratched the back of his head in a nervous way, bringing attention to his unique hair. It was black, spiky, and highlighted with azure blue.

"I mean, eh, is someone hurt in there?" the man tried again. Murdoc shook his head at this.

"It's fine. Who the hell are you? Listening in on private conversations, eh?"

The man's brown eyes went wide at the accusation. "No! I was just going to my room here, yeah? I heard shouting in there…" he sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "Forget I said anything."

"Already done, dodgy bloke," Murdoc growled, making reference to the fact that he still believed the man to have been listening to the fight willingly.

The man made a face, slightly offended. "My name is Ezekiel," he announced, trying to cure the situation of its overall awkwardness and to prevent the green man from calling him more names. Murdoc smirked, revealing his identity as well.

"Well, Ezekiel, I was just heading out for a drink. Why don't you join me?" Murdoc said. There was something dangerous in his eyes as he stared into the taller man's own eyes, and Ezekiel knew that the famous man would not take no for an answer. Still, he tried.

"No really, I was just going to have a quick rest in my room…" he began, taking another step back towards his own door. Murdoc took a step towards him, secretly wanting this new fellow to come with him so that he wouldn't try to talk to 2D or anything. Smiling and thus exposing his pointed teeth, Murdoc snatched the room key out of Ezekiel's hand, stowing it in the back pocket of his jeans. He looped an arm over the man's shoulders, a feat in itself due to their height difference, and began walking to the lift.

"Really, kid, who needs sleep when there's booze?"

Currently, Murdoc stood in the middle of the room, taking in the sight before him. Without turning around, he ordered Ezekiel to come in and shut the door. Now, the younger man was by no means wasted like the bassist was, so he was able to think clearly. He knew that it was beyond stupid to listen to an order like that.

"I'd rather not. Can I go now?"

"No…" Murdoc began slowly, spinning around and marching to the door. He seized Ezekiel by his shirt, pulling him into the room and slamming the door shut. "You'll be staying right here, yeah? You've seen too much already." Murdoc chuckled to himself, dragging his new captive over to sit in the chair next to 2D. He warned the man to not get up or else, and then he left to tend to Noodle. Ezekiel watched him leave; slightly confused at the sight of the "young girl", before turning his head back to stare at the man with the blue hair. He couldn't help but feel like this guy was in the same boat as him. Sighing, Ezekiel scooted forward in his chair to get a better look at the man. He was pale, bruised, and had deep shadows under his eyes. Presently, he was lying in a position that suggested he had simply collapsed there in sleep. His mouth hung open slightly, revealing the man's missing front teeth.

"Murdoc?" Ezekiel called to the bathroom, keeping his face towards the sleeping man. He felt strange calling the green man by name. "Murdoc, who is this?"

Murdoc sighed, annoyed, as he opened the cyborg's face to work at the wiring beneath. There was nothing wrong there, so he closed it, leaning her forward from her sitting position in the tub to poke at her back. The question of his singers identity went over his head as he tried to figure out what went wrong in Noodle's. When Ezekiel appeared in the doorway, repeating his question, Murdoc started violently, crying out and clumsily tossing a roll of toilet paper at him.

"Do _not_ disrupt me when I am working! For Satan's sake man…" Murdoc's shouting died away to useless mutters, and he went back to fixing the figure in the tub. His small audience watched with awe, finally realizing what he was seeing. He remained silent for several minutes, until Murdoc flipped a switch on the petite creation, bringing her back to life. Immediately, Noodle's eyes began to refocus, and she stood.

"2D." she said, believing that Murdoc had only just left for drinks. Her creator shook his head, quietly correcting her and giving her new orders.

"Keep an eye on this fellow, as well as the dullard. I'm going to bed." He gave a mighty yawn laced with the scent of alcohol and got back to his feet, leaving the bathroom on unsteady feet before collapsing on the only bed in the room. Apparently, he could care less about where Ezekiel would sleep. He didn't care at all about 2D.

Ezekiel was very tempted to just walk out the front door and back to his own room, but his curiosity about the blue haired man was too much. It didn't help that the cyborg had the barrel of a gun protruding from her mouth, aimed at him, either. He gave up, sinking back into the chair next to the mystery man. Against his better judgment, he dared to ask a question aloud.

"Who are you?" he whispered. Murdoc grunted, launching a spare pillow at his head from across the room. His aim was superb, as was his hearing.

"If you must know, he's the singer for my band. Shut the hell up already."

Ezekiel picked the fallen projectile up, absently fluffing it in his hands as he stared between the two men. He did recall Murdoc talking about being the leader of a band, though he couldn't recall what the name was exactly. Shrugging, he picked a spot out on floor, where he was certain he wouldn't be stepped on by accident. As his head sank into the thick pillow, the man's thoughts began to drift. He knew he was in too deep, and he was already regretting getting involved. Still, he knew now that the singer most likely didn't want to be in this situation either. At the very least, he could hang around and try to help him get out of this too. He yawned. His vision began to fade. Sleep. The last thing he saw was the cyborg's reflection in a mirror above the couch. The gun was still out. Sweet dreams…

Murdoc stumbled over to the small fridge the next morning, finally kicking it shut. It was at this moment when he realized that all of the open drinks in the room had come from here, and that they were not free.

"Bloody arse!" he roared in the direction of the slumbering singer. "Damn it, I am _not_ paying for those!"

Ezekiel gave a start, instantly awake. The warm rays of the sun fell into his eyes as he rose to a sitting position, and he winced. He had been about to reassure himself that the night before had only been a dream, but Murdoc's ranting made that difficult. Yawning, the man rubbed his eyes. The singer was sort of asleep still. He was given a wake-up call of his own in the form of Murdoc's fist to his shoulder. The blue haired man cried out, lashing out blindly with a pale hand. He had misjudged where his attacker was though, and he ended up hitting the wall instead.

"_Ou_ch!"

"Serves you right, face ache! Trying to hit me…" Murdoc smirked, feeling proud of himself.

"You started it!" 2D retorted, dodging another punch for saying this.

"Your _eyes_!" Ezekiel practically shouted in alarm. He had never seen eyes quite like 2D's.

The band mates turned to stare at Ezekiel in surprise, not expecting such an interruption.

"You up then?"

"Did you kidnap _another-_" this was directed to Murdoc. To say that 2D was shocked at seeing a complete stranger in the room would be putting it lightly.

"What's it to you, eh?" Murdoc sad hotly, slapping 2D upside the head. 2D cried out again, holding his head in his hands as he kept his eyes tightly shut. "Well, looks who's got a hangover." The bassist laughed at the singer's misery.

"It's not funny, you rotter!" 2D snapped, his voice slightly weaker than before. He managed an odd smile, squinting up to Murdoc. "Sorry, Muds, I'm just not up for that video after all."

Something in the bassist snapped. If his singer wasn't up for the video… then there was no video to be had. His face twisted into a grotesque mask, and his green hands latched on 2D's throat, strangling him. "You'd better be sober enough to do the video! So help me…" His growling voice was enough to frighten almost anyone. Ezekiel was frozen in place, his mouth open in horror for a few moments until time caught up with him. He was up and on his feet in an instant, rushing at Murdoc and throwing him in a tight headlock. He tightened his hold, letting it be known that he wouldn't let up until the other man released the singer. Finally, Murdoc threw the increasingly limp body before him away, throwing an elbow back and into Ezekiel's gut. 2D had fallen to the ground, where he was now gasping and coughing harshly. Murdoc cleared his throat roughly, sending a death glare at the brown eyed man behind me. He was embarrassed, clearly, and he stomped off to the bathroom to tend to the cyborg before he had to face an unwanted conversation. Ezekiel watched him go, anger mixed with slight fear showing in his eyes. The singer was still recovering, so he settled on simply kneeling on the ground and waiting for him to get over it.

"Thanks a lot. Who are you then?" 2D wheezed, sitting down and leaning against the couch. He eyed Ezekiel, his mind trying to decide if he should pity the new person or not if he was a captive. "Did Murdoc gas you?"

"First off, you're welcome. I'm Ezekiel, and I haven't been gassed by Murdoc. He won't allow me to leave though…"

"He's a rotter, that one." 2D grumbled. Murdoc heard this, and flipped the bird at him, too busy to do anything else. "I hate him."

"Sod off, 2D! You'd still be working in that bloody organ emporium if it weren't for me!" Murdoc snapped. 2D rolled his ruined eyes, tuning the older man out. Suddenly, he remembered that he never introduced himself. Murdoc took care of that issue with his outburst, so 2D forgot about it. Anyway, his stomach had something much more important to say: time for breakfast.

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AN: Reviews are love!

Ezekiel is not my character, he belongs to 2-D IS AWESOME.


	8. The plan fails

The singer scanned the room, searching for food. The room was devoid of food, with not even a crisp wrapper in sight. There was plenty of alcohol to be had, however. Ezekiel caught on with what 2D was looking so determinedly for when the man's stomach rumbled once more. The singer shrugged, as if to say 'my bad'.

"I'm starting to think that he's given up on eating in general; a strict rum-only diet, yeah?" 2D sighed. Ezekiel smiled, nodding a little.

"So it would seem. Why don't we try and go out for a quick bite?"

2D stared at the man with a shocked expression. "What, and have him chase us down in public with that bloody cyborg of his? Sorry mate, I'll have to pass on that."

"Well, the food won't just come to us, right?"

Both men stared at each other, mirroring a look of stupidity.

"You don't think…"

"Perhaps, why don't you give it a shot?"

"Right, what's the room number again?"

"Twenty-three."

"Of course."

2D made his way to the phone, carefully reading the short list of numbers next to it before picking the device up with one hand and dialing with the other. A awkward pause filled the room, broken by 2D's impatient tapping foot. He jumped a bit when a throaty voice picked up on the other end.

"Room service?" the voice drawled.

"Do you deliver meals to the rooms here?"

A sigh. "Yes. What would you like?"

2D bit his lip, looking at Ezekiel for guidance. The man pulled a menu off the television, opening it and showing it to 2D. The singer nodded. "Right, uh, I'll have two servings of the, er, double pancake and egg meal, yeah. There's no meat in that, right?"

"…No. Is that all?"

"That's for you to know and me to find out. Wait…."

"Funny. What is your room number?"

"Twenty-three."

The voice on the other end hung up after that, which 2D copied. He punched a fist in the air in a sign of victory, though he was still a little confused over the conversation itself. The call had been made though, and that was good enough. After that, there wasn't much to do but wait, so they settled on sitting on the couch, turning the television set on, and watching something. They kept the volume down low for two reasons: to keep Murdoc from hearing it too easily, which was too easy, and for the sake of 2D's hangover. The singer was handling it rather well, lying curled in a ball on what he claimed to be his end of the couch.

Whatever was on the set proved to be boring, so the guys decided to just talk, with Ezekiel leading. They started with the safe stuff. What brings you to the States, what's taking the food so long to get up to their room, stuff like that.

Ezekiel was just visiting, he had been on his way to Sea World, and had been driving there by car. He had been to other places, like Las Vegas and Yellowstone National Park. He suddenly grinned.

"I bought this crazy mask in Vegas; it's great." He chuckled, recalling the accessory. "It looks like a clown, and it's got this huge nose."

"You should go and get it," 2D suggested, sipping some drink from a random bottle of beer. It was the best he could do. He figured that he could possibly get rid of the hangover by making himself drunk, ignoring the smart-ass voice in his head that told him otherwise.

"Murdoc has my room key."

"That white thing sticking out of his pocket?" 2D offered, leaning over to look into the bathroom. Murdoc still had his back to them, but was actually ignoring them as he fixed something in Noodle's face. "You should go and snatch it. He won't notice."

"Oh that's a great idea! And then I could leave, you can come too, if you want." He offered. 2D seemed to really consider this. He glanced over at Ezekiel, one dark eye squinting slightly.

"Does Sea World have any whales?"

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Ezekiel rose grinning. This would be too easy- just sneak into the bathroom, grab the card, and go. He took a few steps, his grin growing. The man glanced over his shoulder, shining his grin on the hung-over singer, who shooed him away. Ezekiel nodded seriously, turning back around and closing the distance to the bathroom, stopping just outside the door.

"Hey, Murdoc," he asked, prepared to distract the man with a couple of questions aimed towards the guitarist in the tub. "I was just wondering…"

He never got to finish; Murdoc was on his feet in an instant, rounding on Ezekiel. Roughly, he shoved him away, getting grease and other gunk on his shirt. Then he slammed the door shut. Ezekiel stood there, gaping like a fish as he tried to string together enough words to form a proper sentence.

Back to the drawing board.

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"Hey, I have an idea." 2D slurred, looking over at Ezekiel from his current position of sitting upside down on the couch. This was another experiment in trying to rid his body and mind of the hangover. All he got was a few more drummers in his buzzing brain. "Shit," he muttered, rolling over to sit up properly. He leaned his head against the wall. "Oh, me head…"

Ezekiel bit his lip in concern. "Uh, what idea did you have in mind?"

2D groaned. "Urgh… Uhh, forget it."

"Why don't we just, you know, walk out?"

This caught the singer's interest. "Out?" he asked, squinting one eye as he turned his head sharply to stare at the door across the room, sizing it up. "That sounds great, hang on…" Ezekiel watched in shocked horror as the other man's face turned green. Just in time, 2D leapt for the nearest wastebasket, shoving his head into it and emptying the contents of his stomach. "Fuck."

"Are you alright?"

"No. Let's go." 2D coughed, spitting the last of the foul taste from his mouth before wiping his lips and standing back up. "You lead the way; I have no bloody idea where to-!"

Quite suddenly, the bathroom door was flung open, expelling Murdoc. Roughly, the bassist grabbed at 2D, holding him tightly with one hand. 2D immediately began squirming, clawing at the green man without success. Ezekiel frowned, arming himself with a cordless phone before running at Murdoc. Raising the weapon high, he let out a war cry- cut short courtesy of Murdoc's foot to his gut. Winded and out of the fight, Ezekiel fell to the ground, gasping.

"Murdoc! What the bloody hell was that for?"

"Self defense, face ache."

Inspired, 2D rammed his head back, cracking it against Murdoc's forehead. He cursed, realizing all too late that this only made his head ache even more. Murdoc wasn't any happier, and he called the android out, ordering her to keep an eye on Ezekiel. Meanwhile, he backed into the bathroom, taking the singer with him so he wouldn't loose him.

"Video's soon, yeah?" he asked the air. 2D turned his head slightly, confused.

"What?" He tripped on a towel, cursing. "Murdoc, let me go!"

"This should work then…"

"What are you doing?"

Murdoc didn't answer, instead kicking at the back of 2D's legs so that he would fall. The bassist then placed a foot on the man's back, stepping on him to hold the man down. Hands now free, Murdoc went to work on looking for something to properly deal with the nuisance. Finding nothing, he settled on kicking the back of 2D's blue head, instantly knocking him out. Ezekiel, blocked by the cyborg and her gun, had seen the whole thing.

"What did you do that for?" he demanded, color draining from his face. "Is he dead?"

Murdoc laughed. Bending down, he grabbed the back of 2D's shirt, dragging him out of the bathroom to drop him someplace else. "If I had wanted to kill him, I would have done that _years_ ago, mate. Don't get your panties in a bunch, he's only knocked out. Makes for easy travel, got it?"

Ezekiel clearly did not get it. Sighing, Murdoc shook his head, giving up. He scooped 2D up, threw him to the cyborg, and then grabbed Ezekiel by his arm, leading him to the front door. They left, leaving the door ajar. Murdoc crossed the hall, opening the other man's door with the key. Getting the message, Ezekiel stumbled into his room, standing there awkwardly. He wasn't expecting Murdoc to just let him go, and he didn't really want to go, not with 2D as he was. Although, he could call for help if he was free…

"Get your things, but make sure they're in a small bag or something. Go on now, don't stand there like a total idiot!" Murdoc barked, snapping his disgusting hands. The other man jumped, rushing over to throw all of his possessions back into his duffel bag, which wasn't too big, thankfully. At the last moment he saw the clown mask, sitting on a table beside a half empty can of soda. He took the mask, crying it in the crook of his arm rather than stuffing it in the bag and risk breaking it. He shuffled out of his room, glancing back into the other room, where 2D and the guitarist were. Murdoc took him by the arm again, grinning in an evil way. His green hand snatched the mask away, and Murdoc examined it, chuckling.

"What the hell is this?"

"A mask?" Ezekiel offered slowly, scratching the back of his head. "From Vegas."

"Well, damn, that's just great. Superb. Noodle love, come here. No, bring him with you."

The cyborg dragged the man out, stopping before her creator. Giggling, Murdoc attached the mask to 2D's head so that it was worn like a hat. "Perfect," the man growled, grinning again. He slammed the door to his room closed, grabbed Ezekiel by the arm again, neither knew when exactly he had let go, and led the way to the lift. They piled in when the doors opened, lapsing into an awkward silence as the doors slid shut. Ezekiel coughed.

"Uh, err, don't you have any luggage, Murdoc?"

"I put it in the car earlier, Sleeping Beauty."

"Oh. Uh, Murdoc?"

"_What_?" the older man whined. Ezekiel pointed to 2D.

"He won't wake up. What if he's in a… a coma or something?"

"For his sake, he had better not be some bloody vegetable! Besides, I just kicked him out cold; he won't be waking up for some time."

Ezekiel's brown eyes narrowed in worry and concern. Numbly, he asked where they were going.

"Calico Ghost Town, mate!" Murdoc drawled in a mysterious voice. He had been trying to wow the other man, but he had failed. Ezekiel cocked his head to the side, a strand of blue hair falling into an eye.

"Are there ghosts there?" he asked.


	9. Stylo

"Listen here, mate. We aren't staying in Calico or anything of the sort." Murdoc began, taking a long drag from a cigarette he had lit up only moments before. He smiled in satisfaction. "I only need to switch out me car here for a better one, see? There's an exact replica of this car, only difference is that it has a better engine. Speed Racer, yeah?" He laughed, glancing in the rearview mirror to check on his latest captive. Ezekiel was sitting as far away from Noodle as possible, clutching his small bag in his lap tightly. "Hey, now, she won't bite." The bassist joked, finding the other man's current discomfort to be hilarious. If anything, this only made the man in back more nervous. The cyborg, as if picking up on his emotions, turned to look at him, grinning in a sinister way.

"Murdoc, why can't she sit up there with you?" Ezekiel whined. "She's scaring the pants off me."

"I should hope not, mate, because that would just be odd." Murdoc chuckled, running through a stop sign and taking a left turn, flipping the bird to the driver he had cut off. He turned the car sharply, causing 2D's head to crack against his window. "For Satan's sake…"

Murdoc pulled over to the side of the road so that he could lean over to 2D's seat without the risk of crashing the car. He pulled at a lever on the side of the singer's seat, reclining it so that he was leaning back slightly, making it less likely for him to hit his head again. Cursing again, Murdoc took to driving.

He sniffed once in annoyance. "Sometimes I wonder if the idiot is even worth the trouble…" The complaint was so quiet; it almost went unnoticed to the rest of the car. Noodle was the only one who heard him, though naturally, she did nothing. Blinking, she watched her creator through the rear view mirror, smirking. There was an agitated air about the green man, and every now and again his lip would twitch, as if he longed to let loose a string of foul curse words to anyone who would listen. Ezekiel kept his eyes trained out his window, occasionally glancing over to see if his friend had awoken before returning to stare at the scenery outside.

The young man pressed his forehead to the warm glass, sighing. "What have I gotten myself into?" he couldn't help but think. Here he was, held against his will with people, and a robot, that he barely knew, bound for what was essentially an unknown location. This Calico Ghost Town, where was it? Was it safe? "I've had enough trouble for today," he thought again, smiling a little despite the fact that he knew that there was nothing funny about it at all.

Roughly half an hour later, Murdoc sped into the ghost town, slamming the brakes roughly and sending the other passengers forward in their seats as he came to a sudden stop near the twin car. Ezekiel grabbed 2D by his shoulder, keeping the unconscious singer from falling forward with the momentum and smashing his face into the dash board. Too late, Ezekiel finally realized that Murdoc had failed to buckle 2D in due to the car lacking seatbelts. There was nothing he could do for it now though, and nothing serious had happened. Besides, there were matters that were a little more important to tend to, like the fact that the filming crew wasn't present, and the hail of gunfire that had suddenly decided to ambush the car. Apparently, their entrance was not a welcome one. Ezekiel ducked down, pulling 2D to the side so that he fell down as well. Murdoc had already taken cover, and was already barking orders to his creation in the backseat.

"Shit! Noodle, get the other car ready!" he shouted, receiving a nod in return because the cyborg could do little more than that. "Bring it around, and put the dullard in!"

"What about me?" Ezekiel shouted. "You don't expect me to stay here, do you?" That was exactly what the mad bassist had been planning, and it was made clear when Noodle grabbed the young man by his hair, slamming his head against his door with enough force to stun him before exiting the car to get to the other one. Along the way, she opened fire on several attackers, taking them out with ease. Murdoc tossed the keys out of 2D's broken window, immediately taking cover again as the bullets whizzed by. Like metal to a magnet, the keys were suddenly in the cyborg's hands, and she got into the car to take into a U-turn and retrieve 2D.

"Murdoc, why can't I go with you?" Ezekiel shouted again, holding his head. "They'll kill me if I'm left here!"

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Murdoc snapped. "Those are pirates out there, after _me_. They have no bleeding idea who _you_ are."

"Why can't I go anyway?"

"Pfft, you really think I'd let you? One idiot is difficult enough to deal with as it is. I don't have the space or supplies to house another person anyway."

Noodle threw open 2D's door, dragging his limp body out and into the second car before slamming it and driving around to get to Murdoc's side. Meanwhile, the sides of the car were being decorated with fresh bullet holes, making the car look old and broken. When it was safe, the green man threw his door open, lunging to the drivers seat of the other car as Noodle took her place in the back seat.

"Give me some credit!" he yelled to Ezekiel, who had moved to the front of the cabin in an attempt to follow Murdoc out. "You'll be able to keep that car, and the pirates will leave when I do! I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart!"

With a final cackle of madness, Murdoc floored the gas pedal, speeding off into the desert, where he hit a trigger and sent the car flying down the tired road at an impossible speed. True to his word, the pirates raced after him, traveling in a variety of vehicles, leaving Ezekiel alone. A ringing silence filled his ears, a final noise. There was no chance of him ever catching up to the other Stylo car, but he got behind the wheel of his new car anyway, only to find that it was conveniently out of gas, probably due to a stray bullet hitting the car in just the right spot. He had no choice but to get out and walk, stepping through stinky liquid as he quickly made his way into a building at random to get out of the sun. He pulled his cell phone out of his bag, he must have brought it out with him, but he couldn't remember doing so, and grinned when he discovered that he had service. He punched in a number before holding the device to his ear.

"Hello, I'd like to report a car chase out by Calico Ghost Town…" he began with uncertainty. Unknown to him, the man had just brought in what was to be part of the camera crew for the Stylo video, in the form of a single eyewitness. His call had been forwarded to a cop car that was already stationed in the area, and the calm voice on the phone assured Ezekiel that he would be able to stop the right car as soon as possible. What the voice failed to mention was that the lone cop was lazy, and cared more about his supply of doughnuts than anything else.

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The pirates began to fall back one by one, until there was nothing left of them. Murdoc, relieved, switched to a more sane speed: eighty mph. It was nice then, no one chasing them with murderous intent and all. The windows were down in front, cooling the inside of the cabin off until Murdoc actually began to feel relaxed without the help of alcohol and women, a first.

"Agh, damn…" 2D was awake, instantly putting Murdoc in a sour mood. His green lip began twitching again as the singer bent forward, hiding his face in his hands. "My heads about to split in two, I swear…"

"If only" Murdoc muttered darkly, hitting 2D on his shoulder. "Quit your whining. See those copters and cars out there?" he pointed to a few of the flying machines, smirking as they his car shot past a fat cop standing by his car. The man of the law slid over the hood of the car to get back behind the wheel so that he could chase after the car he had been called about, though he failed terribly. "The video crew has finally caught up with us, the bastards. Remind me to fire them when we're done with this."

"Done with what?" 2D asked feebly, not bothering to look up just yet. Murdoc smacked his shoulder again.

"Done with what, is that what you said? The video, you twat!"

"Could we reschedule? I've this terrible hangover…" the singer complained, earning another hit to the shoulder. Groaning, 2D tilted his head up, allowing his hands to fall down slowly, catching on his lip before falling to his lap. Before him was a speeding car, sporting a large camera on the back of it. Murdoc commanded him to start singing, and 2D finally did when he was threatened with being kicked from the car while it was still speeding along. He gave in, singing in a half-assed way to show that he really didn't want to as he slouched back in his seat. Unable to help himself, he stuck his head out the window, checking out the film crew before popping his head back in. He kept at it when the sirens started up; he assumed it to be part of the video. Then Murdoc cursed and 2D knew that a potential savior was behind them. As he looked behind him, he saw it was only one cop, he noted the absence of a certain person. Noodle grinned at him in a horrific way, and he quickly turned back around, ducking down a bit. He could ask about that later.

"No, Noodle!" Murdoc suddenly snarled. He might have said more, but his voice was cut off by the sound of the cyborg shooting at something. The green man somehow managed to pull his creation back inside the vehicle, and the cop lost control of his own. 2D watched as the black and white car went off the road, slamming through a wooden billboard advertising Superfast Jellyfish. Severely confused, he glanced back at Murdoc who looked as confused as he was. The singer returned his gaze to the window, finishing up the main portion of his contribution to the song before Murdoc pulled him back into the car roughly.

"Stop staring out the window, it makes you look like some stupid dog or something."

"Who was he?"

Murdoc snorted. "Hell if I know, but it must have been important though; one of the cameras stayed back with him." he paused, returning his attention to the road before him, and the car fell silent, flying past a red car without a second thought, even after it started after them. It wasn't until the sky, starting from the mountains far ahead, began to grow dark, that the occupants of the Stylo car began to grow nervous. Noodle, sparking, straightened up and stared at 2D, as if she just knew this little blunder was his doing. Murdoc glared at him too, but this went unnoticed by the singer, who was staring out the window with a sorrowful expression that screamed the words _why me? _He seemed to have totally zoned out.

"Cut with the angst, dullard." Murdoc sighed, checking the rear view mirror once before tapping the other man on the shoulder. 2D came to life, turning around just in time to see the cyborg slump over.

"Murdoc, I think she, erm, died, or something." He said hesitantly, afraid to break the obvious news to the bassist. The green man grumbled, saying something about just leaving her there or something, which 2D was more than willing to do. He missed his cue to sing his next part, but that was understandable with the way things were quickly falling apart. Murdoc decided to edit that in later, he had a recording of the song already, so it was no big deal. He stared back into his mirror, trying to figure out ho was following them. They looked very familiar…

"It's Bruce!" 2D cried out, pointing to the offending red car. Murdoc had already seen the guy, obviously, but he couldn't make out who exactly it was until the singer pointed it out. How the singer, with his damaged eyes and idiotic brain, had figured this out so quickly was beyond the older man. More time to figure that out later, hopefully. Bruce was pulling up, so the cars were neck and neck. Murdoc was in deep shit, now more than ever as he saw the danger his broken band had somehow found itself in. The famous actor raised a gun at the Stylo car, aiming for the driver in such a way that it was more than obvious that he meant business, and the bassist did the only thing he could think of to protect himself from the bullets: press his back into the seat as far as possible and roll up the window like a madman. It worked for him, sort of, leaving 2D to dodge the bullets. 2D screamed, and they both ducked down.

"Murdoc drive the blasted car before he runs us of off the road!" 2D shouted, panicking as the car began to swerve. Both men were hunched down in their seats in an effort to protect themselves, making it rather difficult for Murdoc to see where he was going until he had the guts to raise his head back up. He cursed as Bruce rear ended him, mocking him almost. What was this guy's problem anyway?

2D was cowering in his seat, absolutely terrified, so he didn't see what happened next, and could only guess that a gun had been fired again. "We're going to die!" his mind screamed, and his hands began to shake.

"For Satan's sake!" Murdoc grumbled, his right hand leaving the wheel to press a red button. "Hang on, 2D!" The car roared, taking off once more at an insane speed. Surely, they were in the clear now, the red car was nothing more that a speck off in the distance. This was all very nice, but the Gorillaz were completely lost, they were never meant to drive out this far.

"Maybe someone in the crew will know where we are?" 2D asked weakly. Murdoc shrugged.

"Most of them are Yanks, locals, I hope." He said after looking behind him. The red car was nowhere to be seen. Murdoc chuckled. "Damn, that was a close one, wasn't it?"

"Too close, if you ask me." 2D said slowly. He would have said more if the car hadn't chosen at that exact moment to lunge forward. "Murdoc!"

Bruce was back, rear ending their car as if he were saying "I'm back, did you miss me?" They hadn't. Murdoc was shouting out curses by this point, desperately trying to right his car as it began swerving due to it's high speed and the constant hits from the red car. His efforts weren't enough, and he finally lost control altogether. Both men looked up just in time to see the ocean grower closer and closer, and then the car smashed into the water, momentarily stunning them. Numbly, Murdoc pressed another button on the dash board, somewhere near his knee. He felt the car transform into a submarine, and he began laughing hysterically, his body trying to rid itself of the sudden adrenaline rush. Madly, he slapped 2D in the back.

"Eh, that was something, wasn't it?" he said, grinning. 2D, not feeling too happy at all about the near-death experience, fainted on the spot, collapsing in a heap where his seat in the car had been. "Right…" the green man sighed, leaving 2D where he fell. Focusing on the controls, he brought the sub back to the surface, opening the hatch to face the camera crew. "That was something wasn't it?" he asked again, getting a more positive reply the second time around. "Yeah, well the idiot went and passed out, my cyborg is broken, but just think!" he waved his arms, pausing for dramatic effect.

"In a few months, we'll be doing this all over again!"

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Edit: That's the final chapter! Thanks to all who left a review, or even better, added this story to their favorites!


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